The NFL’s latest trade deadline featured eight Tuesday trades, but a total of 22 in-season swaps occurred this year. Some teams made multiple trades; several others stood pat. Two of the biggest trades in deadline history went down this week.
While not quite on the Herschel Walker/Eric Dickerson level, the Sauce Gardner blockbuster rivaled the Rams’ Jalen Ramsey addition from 2019. Like the Ramsey exchange, the Gardner value brought two first-rounders and another asset (wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, in this case) for a 25-year-old All-Pro cornerback. Barely an hour later, the Jets followed through with a teardown by sending Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys for first- and second-round picks and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
As we detailed Wednesday in the latest Trade Rumors Front Office post, the Jets’ perspective brought strong value for young players toiling on a downtrodden team. The three first-rounders plus the 2026 second will give New York’s new decision-makers a chance to retool while having assets to either find a quarterback in the draft or trade for a veteran. While it will be difficult to replace Gardner and Williams, the Jets’ Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn regime made the decision to cash in their top assets to launch a true rebuild — one that suddenly features plenty of QB ammo.
From the Colts’ perspective, Gardner brings an accomplished starter at a young age. Indianapolis received a player signed through 2030, though New York’s contract structure on the July extension limited the Gardner dead money to $19.75MM — far less than the Dolphins just took on for Ramsey or what the Saints absorbed upon trading Marshon Lattimore last year.
The Colts, after building from within for years, now have three high-cost DB contracts added this year in the Gardner accord and those given to Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. Tied for the best record in the AFC (at 7-2), the Colts made a move and watched the Patriots, Broncos, Bills and Chiefs hold off on buyer’s trades.
Dallas’ stance is a bit more complicated. The Cowboys went from trading Micah Parsons for two first-rounders ahead of his age-26 season to acquiring Williams, who will turn 28 in December. The team still has three first-round picks between 2026 and ’27, but sending the higher-value ’27 first to the Jets strips away a prime asset for a player not on Parsons’ level.
Jerry Jones harped on the team’s run defense upon acquiring Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade, but that unit has faceplanted this season. Williams joins Clark and Osa Odighizuwa in a suddenly pricey Dallas D-tackle corps, and the longtime Jet had angled for a contract rework — something the Cowboys may now have to navigate.
The Cowboys also added Logan Wilson, after trying to grab Quincy Williams from the Jets in a two-brother trade, but the younger Williams brother represents the obvious talking point here. Dallas’ interior D-line is well stocked. Will Quinnen Williams help transform a sub-.500 Cowboys team in the way Amari Cooper did after the team surrendered a first at the 2018 deadline?
Deadline day also brought two wide receiver moves. The two wideouts most likely to be traded were, in fact, dealt. The Jaguars gave up fourth- and sixth-round picks for the Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers, a deal that may have crystalized the Rashid Shaheed market. Shaheed cost the Seahawks fourth- and fifth-round choices.
Meyers will help the Jags replace Travis Hunter and provide some stability in a receiving corps also dealing with a Brian Thomas Jr. injury. Shaheed joins a surging Seattle squad, reuniting with 2024 New Orleans OC Klint Kubiak, and will be an interesting complementary piece for All-Pro candidate Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and rookie Tory Horton, the Seahawks look to have one of the NFL’s best receiving cadres.
Jacksonville also engaged in a cornerback swap, prying contract-year cover man Greg Newsome from the Browns in October. Newsome has started two games with the Jags and has incentive to perform well this season, as he is uncontracted for 2026. Tyson Campbell is signed through 2028, giving the Browns some cost certainty — albeit now carrying two upper-crust CB contracts, along with Denzel Ward‘s — at a premium position.
Cleveland did not aggressively sell, keeping its guards, David Njoku and other rumored trade assets, though they did do Joe Flacco a solid — to Mike Tomlin‘s chagrin — by trading the demoted QB within the division. Flacco immediately became the Bengals’ starter and has rejuvenated Cincy’s offense.
The Jags also collected fifth- and sixth-round picks from the deadline’s top buyer. The trade-happy Eagles finished their 2025 by making 12 trades (excluding pick-for-pick transactions). In-season, Philadelphia made four. Following the Bigsby move, the defending champs acquired cornerbacks Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander during their bye week, before sending the Dolphins a third-rounder for Jaelan Phillips. Philly now has Brandon Graham and Phillips in an edge-rushing corps housing Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. Carter and Alexander provide potentially better answers compared to Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo alongside Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
The Rams quietly bolstered their CB contingent by obtaining Titans contract-year slot player Roger McCreary, while Tennessee also sent Dre’Mont Jones to Baltimore. The Ravens added Jones and Alohi Gilman, the latter becoming an immediate starter and helping maximize All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. Jones, who has 4.5 sacks this season, replaces Odafe Oweh — traded to the Chargers in the Gilman swap — in Baltimore’s OLB rotation. A former 3-4 defensive end, Jones gives Baltimore some pass rush options after Gilman supplied them with a deep safety. Gilman is also in a contract year.
While the Dolphins did not dive into full sales mode, retaining Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb, after parting with longtime GM Chris Grier, they did obtain a third-round pick for Phillips — who is in his fifth-year option season. The Chargers also added two more trades before the 3pm buzzer Tuesday, most notably adding Trevor Penning — a three-position starter for the Saints — for a late 2027 draft choice. A contract-year blocker, Penning will be an option for a battered Bolts’ tackle corps.
The Steelers’ long-rumored wide receiver quest did not lead to a deal, but the team did add veteran safety Kyle Dugger, who had fallen out of favor with the Patriots despite signing an eight-figure-per-year extension as a transition-tagged player in 2024.
Who do you think did the best job at this year’s deadline? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
